Refuge

a safe space

"Robbery, rape, molest, cheating… They come to confide in us.

To warn
the other girls."

Despite sex, violence and alcohol saturating the night scene at Orchard Towers, there are avenues for those who seek help. The sex workers are fortunate to have Vanessa Ho, the Project Director of Project X. Project X is a community-based organisation committed to empowering sex workers with awareness of their rights, and providing a safe haven at their potentially hostile workplace. The organisation's vision is to create a safe and fair sex industry for everyone involved and a society that respects sex workers, their clients and their families.

Vanessa kindly linked us with Wany, Project X's representative at their centre in Orchard Towers. Her valuable insights are captured in the video below, along with a photo gallery of the help centre.

INTERVIEW

Project X

Wany, Centre Representative for Orchard Towers centre

Quotes

"It’s my job to befriend them, look into their needs, and get them to be our friends"

"Now that we have received the recognition, some of the girls - they come to visit us of their own accord"

"We have been very successful, because we are getting more and more recognition"

"For customers' abuse - like robbery, rape, molest, cheating... but they won’t want to make any report"

"People generally don’t stroll in for the fun of it"

"People walk in and commended us for doing a good job"

"We depend on donations...
most of our stuff here are secondhand or being donated"

"It’ll (the night scene) be rowdy and a little messy if you’re not used to it"

"It has its fair share of trouble because
of the bars...
entertainment outlets...
bound to have problems"

"There must be some 'outlet' for tourists"

Gallery

Most organisations measure their performance by revenue. Project X sets targets around condoms distributed and wet wipes given.

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Above are acrylic paintings done by the sex workers themselves.

Even in their art, elements of their line of work is present.

This brochure distributed by Project X details the ways in which a prostitute can resist a client's unwillingness to use condoms.